I'm not against treating dogs or any other animals kindly but we don't need more laws and regulations to do it. This is a lot like the gun regulations constantly being proposed by the Progressives. Regardless of how many laws are on the books the bad guys will have guns or some other weapon. They're criminals! The law means nothing to them. The same goes for the breeders that mistreat their dogs. They don't follow the laws now, why would they follow more of them?
This is about control and restricting the use of animals for damned near anything. That's what the HSUS stands for. This bill gets their foot in the door and next time they'll go after the pig farmer and the guy like me that keeps a few chickens.
Vote this down, Missouri.
"Have you ever wondered why politicians come up with great-sounding titles for proposed legislation that sounds too good to be true? It is always some clever title that, in most cases, masks what's really in the bill.
Accordingly, voters easily can fall prey to the "devil" in the details. Missouri Proposition B is a dramatic example of this with its very provocative title, "The Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act." Unfortunately, when you read the details of Proposition B, you realize that there is nothing in the bill to stop "puppy cruelty" or increase enforcement of the laws.
The proponents of Proposition B, especially the sponsor, the Humane Society of the United States, are counting on you, the voter, to stay uninformed and "just take their word for it" and blindly support Proposition B. Who in his right mind wouldn't vote for a measure claiming to prevent puppy mill cruelty?
But the Animal Care Facilities Act passed in 1992 already regulates dog breeders. These tough regulations are enforced by the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture already requires licensed dog breeders to provide animals with proper care and adequate food, water, shelter, veterinary care and an exercise plan. Under current Missouri law, animal cruelty and animal abuse are illegal.
So, what will Proposition B accomplish that current laws cannot? Therein lies the deception. Proposition B will not increase enforcement to target the unlicensed illegal breeders operating substandard kennels in Missouri. Those operations will continue to operate should Proposition B pass on Nov. 2.
Proposition B is designed to over-regulate Missouri's licensed, law-abiding kennels — over-regulate them out of business — while increasing the state Department of Agriculture's responsibilities. Proposition B would destroy jobs and could significantly decrease revenue to Missouri-based dog food producers, pet-supply stores, pet-product suppliers, feed stores, veterinarians, veterinarian suppliers, fencing companies, real estate companies and trucking companies."
STL Today
A Product of Innocence
by Rep. Ed Emery
"Proposition B will be on Missourian's November 2, 2010 ballot. No matter how it is promoted it is fundamentally the product of ignorance. It reflects ignorance about breeders, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the power of the free market, property rights, and liberty. It is being driven by propaganda rather than truth and depends on emotional appeal rather than the achievement of meaningful reform.
Missourians love their pets and hate to see animals abused. Dog breeders, and I have met a number of them, raise dogs because they love dogs and enjoy seeing others find just the right dog for their family. The goal of these small business people is to satisfy the public's longing for pets at a cost most can afford. My family used to raise basset hounds, and I remember that even a single flea bite on an otherwise perfect puppy meant an unacceptable price penalty along with the determination to find and fix any problem. If a puppy had anything more serious, they might just be refused. It simply does not pay to mistreat animals. But the best breeder would be hurt the most by Prop B.
Many are ignorant about the nature and objectives of HSUS-- the organization behind Prop B. A visit to www.humanewatch.org or www.activistcash.comwill help you assess whether their intentions have anything at all to do with the treatment of animals. While less than $500,000 went to animal shelters (less than 0.5% of HSUS's budget in the same year HSUS's own website lists 14 executives who, it is reported, received $2.5 million in 2008 in pension benefits alone; their salaries are not available.
However, most harmful is ignorance of the significance of property rights to basic American freedoms. There is no more important unalienable right that our constitution secures than that of property rights. Personal property - almost unheard of before the United States exceptional founding - is the right that guarantees all others. It is the only right that once lost will almost certainly not be restored short of armed conflict. Prop B directly assaults property rights and for that reason alone is completely unacceptable and should be ruled unconstitutional. But the courts aside, no issue is important enough to concede to government our last defense against its abuse of the people.
Dispelling ignorance about what is actually in Prop B will help defeat it at the ballot box. First of all, the use of the word "cruelty" is to invoke prejudice, not reason. For example, keeping 51 dogs is cruel but keeping 50 is not; keeping a dog in a 5' by 5' 11" enclosure is cruel while adding one inch to the length makes it kind; kennel temperature of 45 degrees F is kind while 44 degrees is cruel. "Cruelty" is not for the dog; it is for the emotional appeal. We're told Prop B is for "large-scale" breeders, but just 11 female dogs makes you a "large-scale" breeder, and your animal quarters will have to be heated and air conditioned. Finally, if Prop B is about animal cruelty then why are hunting dogs excluded from the regulations?
Proposition B is not about animals or about cruelty, it is an assault on property rights, small businesses, and the free market. It employs a proven strategy for stripping rights from the people and empowering the elitists: 1) find an innocent lovable party - puppy, 2) make them a victim with an emotion-stirring label - puppy mill, 3) make "more government" the solution - Prop B. If voters take a broader and thoughtful perspective and if they insist that freedoms be protected and that policies be logical rather than emotional, then American ideals will win, and Prop B will fail in November."
The Alliance for Truth
A Message From the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association
"The over 1,250 members of the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association care deeply about the welfare of dogs in breeding facilities in our state. Our member veterinarians, like all people who love and care for animals, are appalled at conditions in some of the dog breeding facilities. As animal health professionals, our entire lives are devoted to the treatment of animals and the prevention of suffering and pain. We strongly denounce any animal neglect and cruelty.
There is no doubt there is a need for healthy, well-adjusted puppies in our society. American families deserve to have a source for puppies bred and cared for by compassionate people who practice good animal welfare standards. Such breeders and care-givers may work in small or large facilities.
In our experience, reported problems with some breeding facilities are generally caused by unlicensed individuals. Such facilities are allowed to escape the scrutiny and regulations of existing laws and inspections.
The ballot being proposed for this November would completely shut down our state’s properly operated, inspected and licensed facilities that have over fifty breeding dogs. We see this proposal as unfair and misguided. These properly and humanely operated facilities are providing families with pets under the guidance of extensive current regulations enforced by state government.
We believe a better approach would involve legislation that reviews the current breeder regulations, and that would increase needed resources for inspection of unlicensed breeders. These actions will actually target the real problem and not punish responsible breeders who are working carefully within the law.
As veterinarians we would strongly support legislation that will better protect these dogs through any necessary changes in regulations, but more importantly, through giving our state the resources needed to broaden inspections, hold breeders to high standards and to abolish unlicensed breeders."
The Alliance for Truth
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment